First impressions of any place, let alone a city, can be misleading.  Nevertheless, a newcomer’s embarkation around Oregon’s most-populous community creates memories to be later embellished or forgotten.  Here are mine, in no particular order:

• Portlanders do not carry bottled water around like East Coasters, which may be accountable to the prevalence of rigid water quality.  When a problem is noted, it’s big news.  Keeping the water supply pristine is not nearly as problematic as elsewhere in the country.
• Portland’s TriMet rail system personifies what rapid transit should be.  From the break of dawn to well beyond evening rush hour, trains run at least every 15 minutes.  That’s how a well-planned city encourages patronage and avoids daily gridlock.
• Portland’s rapid transit system refers to seniors as “honored citizens,” and offers deep discounts when they ride anywhere.  Store prices in many locales offer seniors a percentage discount on Wednesdays.
• Bicyclists are everywhere, and their attire doesn’t emulate competitive riders’ garb either.  Much of their prevalence stems from Asian immigrants, whose attitude toward cycling finds pedal power more convenient and less costly than daily motorized travel.
• Although penalties for smoking marijuana in public have been heavily reduced, we have yet to observe visible puffing away of “wacky tobaccy,” like we initially anticipated.  Can it be that pot use here has become passé?  Or do users keep it private?
• Hillsboro – and much of Portland – is less than an hour’s drive from a nude beach on the Columbia River.  That’s far more accessible than any other metropolitan area in the USA.
• Employees in grocery stores are far friendlier – and more educated – than most places in the country.  Plus they like their jobs.  At employee-owned WinCo Foods, cashiers and clerks are treated honorably, and competitors emulate its working conditions.
• Communities on the west coast offer hospitality that goes beyond the greenback dollar.  Perhaps that’s because this coast is public property, thereby not subject to manipulation by greedy landholding entities.
• When the sun comes out, it’s far brighter than most anywhere in the country.  Newcomers soon discover how much of a hazard sun glare can be.  That’s because the air here is clearer than most other developed areas.
• Small restaurants outside Portland City Center are rare.  Malls and shopping centers abound, and so do fast-food outlets.  Many Portlanders obtain their Chinese fix at Panda Express, cheaper than at traditional Chinese eateries.
• Drivers in and around Portland travel close to the posted speed limit; violators who exceed the limit are at greater risk to be ticketed.  The roads here are visibly highly patrolled, making for predictable travel.
• During the rainy season, contrary to public perception, the sun does appear occasionally.  And the maritime climate of the nearby Pacific Ocean tends to moderate temperature extremes.
• Prices for many commodities are cheaper here than elsewhere.  For example, some staples, like milk, currently cost $3 or less per gallon.  Discount stores are truly discount, and merchandise in dollar stores cost a buck.  And it never grows old to see sales tax extinct.
• Portlanders tend to feel secure in their city.  If residents note someone staring at a map, it’s not rare to receive directions or friendly inquiries.  Their cordiality is endemic for maintaining a positive mood.
• Television network affiliates pay attention to the homeless in times of weather extremes.  Good Samaritans abound, too.  Residents appear confident, and store windows are kept open after closing, not shuttered.

Alice and I like it here.  We feel good about our friends, relatives, neighbors, surroundings and ourselves.  So far, Portland is turning out to be everything that we had hoped.